The Boy Who Blocked His Own Shot
by Unread-Letters
Summary: It only takes two and a half years but Darcy manages to fall for the last person she expects. Rated T for some language, alcohol use, and brief mentions of sex.


**Disclaimer: I own nothing except the plot, that's all mine. Everything else belongs to Marvel. "The boy who blocked his own shot"****is a Brand New song from the album **_**Deja Entendu.**_

**Author's Note: It's been a while since I've written and this is unbeta'ed so please excuse any errors. This is also my first time writing Loki and Darcy so any comments or constructive criticisms are always welcome. This is a one shot but I was throwing around the idea of expanding a couple of the scenes that are mentioned. Thanks for reading!**

**P.S. The events of the this story take place over the course of two and a half years.**

**The Boy Who Blocked His Own Shot**

**By: UnreadLetters**

"_A crown of gold, a heart that's harder than stone and it hurts to hold on, but it's missed when it's gone." – Brand New_

Darcy had never intended on falling in love with him but who the hell really plans on falling in love? Well…pretty much everyone but if someone had told her two years ago that she would be in love with Loki…well…she probably would've slapped that someone across the mouth. But it had happened. Somehow. And her love for Loki was starting to destroy her, eat her alive because he would never feel as strongly as she did.

Darcy had only been at SHIELD for a couple months when Thor marched a bound and gagged Loki into Fury's office. Fury had hired Darcy as a secretary but she wasn't stupid, she knew he was really just keeping tabs on her. Her job was mundane and bland compared to all the things that were actually going on in SHIELD. She had never heard Fury shout the way she heard him shout on that day. She couldn't make out the words but anyone within earshot could tell you that Fury did not want Loki back on Earth. Darcy had heard later from Jane and Thor that it had been Steve, of all people, who had talked Fury into agreeing. Loki had been stripped of his power and was banished to Earth to live as a human. He had only been on the planet a few days when Darcy had been summoned to Fury's office.

Darcy pokes her head through the door to find Fury pacing behind his desk. Every few seconds he glares at Thor who stands in the corner with his arms crossed not meeting Fury's gaze. Both men keep keen eyes on Loki who sits in the chair closest to the door and observes the scene with a disgusted look on his face. All three men turn to look directly at Darcy when she closes the door behind her.

"Helloooo..." She greets in an attempt to lighten to mood.

"Miss Lewis, please sit." Fury motions to the chair next to Loki's.

"That's okay. Thanks. I'll stand." She gives a nervous smile and shifts from foot to foot.

"I won't bite." Loki's voice was like a poison to her ears. Darcy isn't one to admit when she's afraid but she knows this man through reputation and that is all she needs. However, she is most definitely not one to show her fear.

Darcy squares her shoulders and looks him straight in the eye. "That's good but who says I won't?"

"Enough." Fury interjects without much strength. Darcy notes the weary expression on his usually cool face. She has never seen him look this drawn. "Miss Lewis, I asked you in here because despite my better judgment I have an assignment for you."

"Whoa…seriously?" She blushes a little at her own reaction and internally reminds herself that she is an adult.

Fury nods slowly. "Thor thinks it would be best that Loki learn to live as a human and work for SHIELD in order to reform and pay for his crimes. We need someone to show him around, get him adjusted."

Darcy can't help but laugh, a loud roar of a laugh. "You want me to play tour guide to this psycho? Thanks but no thanks. Can't somebody else do it?"

She tries to ignore the dark titter that escapes Loki's lips and focuses in on the frown that slowly grows deep on Thor's face. She can't stand to see the usually buoyant man show any signs of melancholy and instantly regrets her harsh words.

"Thor, this was your idea?" She asks gently as she gives him an apologetic nod.

He nods as a small smile flits across his face. "You and Jane and Erik were so kind to me when I arrived. I only want that for my brother."

Fury interjects, "You're the only civilian we can trust. Everyone else is too far removed from normal life to be any kind of help to the situation."

Darcy turns her gaze to Loki whose eyes are filled with anger. She faces Fury with a sense of determination and speaks evenly. "Fuck it. I'll do it. For Thor." She gives then all a curt nod the turns quickly to leave. Before she walks out the door she gives Fury one last look and with a smirk says, "But I better get a raise."

Their first few weeks together are hard but after a while their belligerent facades start to fade as Loki and Darcy find that they hate a lot of the same things and they both have a talent for sarcasm and that maybe, maybe they both might be a little lonely. They go out some times and Darcy likes the way Loki treats her as if she's the only girl there. She'll admit that although she hates the way he wears his hair, he does have astonishing eyes and on those rare occasions when he smiles he could be considered handsome. She has a hard time teaching him how to talk to salespeople and waiters because he treats them like servants but he always holds the door open for her and pulls out her chair. When they go out to eat she has to constantly remind him that he does not need to stand every time she does even though, secretly, it makes her feel like she's in a fairytale. She keeps reminding herself that she could never be attracted to him. He is totally not her type even if he hadn't attempted to take over the Earth. He's too overconfident and far too mysterious and he has to control everything. She likes her guys to be docile and kind. She likes guys who let her run the show.

At first, all Loki thinks of Darcy is that she's annoying. He wishes he could rip her voice box out just so he wouldn't have to hear her prattle on about minute gossip and trivial things. He does not make things easier on her and tries with all his might to elicit some fear out of her but she usually just calls him a jackass and ignores the rest. There are a few times during those first weeks that he victoriously gets her to leave in a huff but he is slightly amazed that she always comes back. When frightening her doesn't work, he acts as difficult and as stubborn as Thor but she always manages to put him in his place. They finally have a full blown argument inside some wretched clothing store that ends when she throws a shoe at him and security is called. Loki thinks that he might have actually won the war with this one but instead she drags him to a bar across the street and they sit silently, drink their drinks, and stew in their anger. Loki watches her out of the corner of his eye and it is the first time he thinks that maybe she isn't so bad after all.

After a couple of months they become comfortable enough with each other that they start to play a game. They insult and threaten one another until the other gives in. Darcy usually loses because as the game goes on her threats become more childish and Loki's more serious and she tends to burst into a fit of giggles. She giggles a lot around Loki, usually out of nervousness. When she first met him it was because he scared her. She expects that her nerves will settle after a while but for some reason she gets more nervous around him as she grows more comfortable with him.

Loki enjoys the little game they play. He uses a lot of the names he called Thor when they were children. He always gets a rise out of Darcy when he throws them in. He tests her with the threats because for some reason no matter how twisted or bizarre or manic his harassment is Darcy never backs down. She may laugh or sigh or roll her eyes but she always comes back with a terrorization of her own to match his. He becomes intrigued by the challenge Darcy's imagination presents. At the time same, he refuses to let go of the fact that she does not fear him. He pulls out all the stops during these games but she never quite responds with the trepidation he so craves from her.

One night, after he has become acquainted enough with human society that she no longer needs to teach him, they go out as friends. Darcy drinks too much and tries in vain to get Loki to sleep with her. She hasn't had that much alcohol in a long time and it's been even longer since she's had sex and he is a pretty attractive guy, after all. Loki takes her back to his room, tucks her into bed and sleeps on the sofa. Darcy apologizes profusely the next day and Loki simply says that he drank just as much as she did and remembers just as little. She knows he's lying. He's a Viking god, for Christ's sake. Darcy knows that even without his power he can hold his liquor but she appreciates the white lie anyway.

That night is when Loki first realizes that he does not want to frighten Darcy, he wants to protect her. He has a hard time telling her no that night because her eyes are so inviting when she looks up at him through her lashes and bites her bottom lip but he fortifies himself against any feelings and does what is right. Doing the right thing sickens him for half a second but he has come to enjoy Darcy's company and he finds that he truly does respect people who don't let Loki dominate them. So he puts Darcy to bed and tosses and turns on the sofa. He tries to hide his anger when she apologizes for the tenth time and says the only thing that will get her to shut up. Thankfully, she doesn't argue even though he can tell she doesn't believe him and after an awkward afternoon their lives go on.

Almost a year after that, Darcy realizes that her feelings for Loki are leaving the friendship zone. Maybe they have been for a while, she thinks, and maybe she has been ignoring them but for some reason she catches him acting cordial towards Tony and it makes her smile and she thinks that maybe she could really like the freak show. She makes up her mind to tell him because she's sure that he feels something too but has a hard time finding the perfect opportunity. She's leaving a Halloween party at Tony and Pepper's when she bumps into Loki coming back from a mission. He insists on walking her the two blocks to her apartment and that's when she decides to tell him. She says it all in one breath, that she has feelings for him, and notices that his pace slows down and he sighs.

"I've been waiting for you to say something." She looks up at his face as he says this but his eyes are glued on the sidewalk ahead of them.

"Yeah…I've felt this way for a while now." She can feel the redness coming to her cheeks and bites her lip waiting for his response.

He nods solemnly and still won't look at her. "Then you must know that I do not return the feelings."

Darcy feels like she has been hit by a baseball bat. She feels stupid and immature and ashamed. It doesn't help matters that she's wearing a homemade lady bug costume. She grabs desperately at the fake antennas on her head and pulls her coat tighter around her shoulders. She takes a deep breath before responding. "Yeah. I figured." And because she doesn't know what else to do she laughs. It's a bitter laugh but it's a laugh. She's a little startled when Loki laughs too.

When they finally make it to her lobby she has to remind herself not to run. She thanks Loki for walking her home but refuses to meet his gaze. He makes a noise like he wants to say something but merely wishes her a goodnight. She waves weakly because she knows if she opens her mouth she'll start sobbing. Thankfully she waits until she's in the elevator to start crying but it comes in a rush and she can't even hold herself up. It takes Darcy an hour to stop the tears but her breathing stays ragged as she slowly drifts off to sleep. She's almost out when she's shocked fully awake by the sound of a text message. Her vision is blurry but she can make out that it's from Loki. She rubs her eyes on the already mascara stained sheets, takes a deep breath, and reads.

**Loki (12:51):** I hope I'm not waking you. I apologize for my taciturnity earlier. I haven't slept well in a few days and your confession caught me unawares. I should not have responded in such a manner.

**Darcy (12:54):** That's okay. You were and are nothing but a good guy about this. It was unfair of me to put you in that situation.

**Loki (12:56)**: I am not a "good guy." And don't you dare blame yourself for any of this. Are you all right?

**Darcy (12:58):** Yes, you are. I'm okay, thank you. We're okay.

**Loki (1:00):** Are you certain?

**Darcy (1:01):** We're good, Loki. Now get some rest.

**Loki (1:03):** Thank you. Good night, Darcy.

Darcy throws her phone across the room and screams. His text should have made her feel better but instead she falls back asleep feeling even more flummoxed than ever. When she wakes up the next morning, Darcy decides that Loki gave her an answer and she should accept it. She is determined to move on. Eventually they fall back into a casual camaraderie but they rarely see each other outside of SHIELD and Darcy deletes his number from her phone for good measure because she does have a habit of texting him dumb things when she's been drinking and he does have a habit of responding. Fury and the rest of the team are a little taken aback when Loki starts volunteering for more missions but they really can use the extra hands and Loki is thankful for the distraction. It's difficult for him when he can't find the right words and it seems that every time Darcy is in his presence he becomes reticent and aloof.

Around Christmas, Darcy goes on a date with the guy she always sees at the record store. Dave is definitely her type. He's too skinny with hunched shoulders and thick framed glasses. He has a nose that's too big for his face and always wears a cardigan. Dave is Darcy's speed. He's nice and sweet and awkward. When Loki walks in on Darcy and Jane in the lab talking about the Dave date, Darcy's a little staggered by his change in attitude. He makes a snarky comment like he usually would but this time he picks his words carefully and Darcy finds that they sting. The only response she can muster is to tell Loki she hates him. He responds with a simple "you wish you hated me" and Darcy has to shove her hands in her pockets to keep from punching him in the face as she leaves.

She goes on a second date with Dave from the record store and this time around focuses too much on Dave's awkwardness. She doesn't like that he lacks assertion and confidence. He speaks too low and Darcy catches him looking at the girl across the bar from them. She makes an excuse to leave early and accepts that this is the last time she'll see Dave.

The next time she sees Loki, he asks her earnestly how her date went. Darcy just shrugs her shoulders and gives him a sad smile. He offers sincerely to teach Dave a lesson but Darcy just laughs and walks away. Dave is never mentioned again and things go back to normal. Loki and Darcy go back to their comfortable routine but Darcy starts to notice that everyone else is noticing. Tony jokingly threatens to put them both into time out after Loki threatens to pull Darcy's tongue out after she sticks it out at him. Natasha rolls her eyes and sighs loudly when Darcy punches Loki in the arm after he tells her human fists are nothing against his god-like body. Even Steve chastises them when Darcy calls Loki a smartass under her breath during a meeting after Loki flings a spit ball at her and threatens to turn her into a ladybug. Darcy would be lying if she said Loki annoyed her. Truthfully, she welcomes the attention, however immature and meaningless. Bruce pulls her aside one day and asks what is exactly is going on between her and Loki. She has a hard time coming up with an answer and the scientist just frowns and tells her to watch herself all the same.

Things start to take a turn almost a year after the Halloween incident. Darcy's at a cocktail party at Tony and Pepper's and is a little surprised to see Loki there. He never comes to these things and when he does he stands awkwardly in the corner and twirls his drink is his hands. She is on her way to talk to him when she is pulled into a conversation with Agent Hill and two unidentified gentlemen. She can tell almost instantly that Maria has eyes for one of these guys so Darcy does what she can to keep the other one occupied. She learns that his name is Chad and he works at the Daily Planet with Maria's beau. Chad is handsome and charming and nice to talk to but Darcy isn't really all that interested. When he excuses himself to get a drink she sneaks over to Loki.

"Howdy! Having fun?" She punches him playfully in the arm.

He raises an eyebrow at her and motions with his head towards Chad. "You certainly are."

She giggles but waves away his comment. "Oh that's Chad. He's really nice. Agent Hill is totally into his friend. They work at the Planet."

He surveys the room and yawns slightly. "That's nice."

Darcy offers him a warm smile but shrugs her shoulders. "I can take a hint. See you later." With a small wave, she makes her way back to Maria and the Planet guys.

A couple of days later, Maria invites Darcy out after work to meet the Planet guys. She says yes but only because it's fun to flirt once in a while. Somehow, probably through Tony, Loki finds out about the double date and pokes his head into Darcy's office just to make jeering comments about Chad, whom Loki has dubbed Meathead. Darcy turns bright red and lets out a sarcastic chortle before looking him in the eye and saying simply, "at least someone is interested in me." She thinks it'll be satisfying when those words finally leave her lips but instead she feels like crying as she watches Loki turn on a heel and stomp down the hallway.

She has a nice enough time on the double date but she suspects Chad is there for the same reason she is…to be a wingman. Darcy has a pleasant talk with him but she knows nothing will come of it. All she can really think about is Loki and his jealously and how he has no right to be jealous. He could just say the word and she would never talk to another guy again. He is the one who rejected her. She verbally vomits all of these thoughts onto Maria on the ride back to her apartment because she doesn't know what to do or how to feel or anything. All Maria can say is that Loki is the God of Lies, after all, and maybe he wasn't being completely honest when he told Darcy he didn't feel the same way. This just frustrates Darcy more because she realizes that she doesn't just like him, she loves him. She loves him despite his callousness, his psychosis, and his control issues. She loves him despite his taste in music, his love for that horrible armor, and the way he insists on wearing his hair. She doesn't care that they don't go to the movies or laugh in the park or cuddle on the couch. She loves that he hates doing those things. And it breaks her heart that he won't let her love him. Maybe Darcy is completely insane and reading into things way too much but he is completely destroying her. For once in her life she is at a total and utter loss.

The next day Darcy readies herself for more mockery from Loki but is a little surprised to find that none comes. He greets her solemnly and doesn't mention Chad at all throughout the day. In fact, Darcy thinks, he's been acting rather melancholy. His strange mood goes on for days and it just makes Darcy madder. She can handle the cruel jokes and his angry tantrums but his apathy tears her apart.

She spends most nights tossing and turning in her bed until she finally can't take it anymore. The clock reads 3:06 in blinking red letters but she gets out of bed, throws on some clothes, and marches the two blocks down the street to stop this once and for all. Right before she knocks on his door she thinks that he might be asleep but she whispers "fuck it" to herself and bangs loudly.

It takes a couple minutes before she hears muffled swearing and the locks clicking over. Loki's black hair is a mess and he looks the most human Darcy has ever seen him in black sweat pants and a ratty green t-shirt. He briefly rubs at his eyes before glaring down at Darcy.

"Yes?" He sighs loudly.

"Can I come in?" She can feel the confidence leaking out of her.

"It's 3:26 in the morning." His indifference pisses her off.

"Fine. We can do this out here then." She glares at him before clearing her throat and shouting, "WHAT THE FUCK IS YOUR PROBLEM?!"

"For the love of Odin, Darcy. Get the hell inside." He grabs her roughly by the arm and flings her onto the sofa. "What the fuck is my problem? What the fuck is yours? IT IS 3:30 IS THE GODDAMN MORNING, DARCY AND YOU'RE SHOUTING AT ME IN THE MIDDLE OF STARK TOWER!"

She shutters at the volume of his voice and for the first time in a long time she sees him as the God who tried to enslave Earth but her unease only lasts a second. "YOU ARE MY PROBLEM!" Loki runs a hand through his hair and takes a seat in the chair across from her. Darcy uses this time to take a breath and calm herself before proceeding. "Do you have any idea how hard it was for me to tell you how I felt last year? My stomach was in knots for days. Every time I was around you I felt like I had to blurt it out. I felt like you had to know and then I grew some balls and did it and out of left field you fucking shoot me down. Come on, Loki! I am not making this up! There is something between you and I and it has gone on for way to goddamn long." She pushes herself off the sofa to walk over to his liquor cabinet and take a swig from a bottle one of the many bottles of whiskey she knows are there.

Loki shoots her a glare and says matter of factly, "You know where the glasses are." Darcy gives him the finger before stomping over to the other side of the room, making a production of pouring the whiskey into a glass and then sits down in a huff across from him. "Thank you."

"That's all you're going to say? Chastise me about drinking from the bottle." She takes a long sip and looks out the window.

"I am not a good man, Darcy. Don't you see that? I get physically ill sometimes when I have to do the right thing. Some mornings when I awake all I can think about is the rage that fills my heart. Even my own parents abandoned me and I have completely forced the ones who raised me out of my life. I am a poison, Darcy, venomous, evil. You do not want to love a man like me. I will not let you."

"That's bullshit," is all Darcy can think to say. "You are not evil. You have done some horrible things and you may have some anger issues. You might need a little therapy. But seriously, dude, who the hell doesn't disappoint their parents? So maybe you went a little further than having a house party or smoking some weed but you are a God after all. It only seems fitting that a God would try to take over another realm." Darcy takes Loki's small chuckle as a sign to continue. "I love you because of who you are. Don't you understand that? I love all the good and all the bad. I just wish you were honest with me instead of trying to protect me."

He gives her the smallest of smiles, "You are so stubborn."

"Yep." Darcy finishes off her drink then rises to make another one. "Want one?" She shakes her glass at him.

"Do you know that is the finest Asgardian whiskey?" He says as she pours both of their glasses to the brim.

"Yep and if you don't tell me exactly how you feel I'm drinking it all." She hands him his glass and returns to the sofa taking a long swallow. "It's gonna be a long night, buster."

Loki takes a swig from his own glass and slowly swallows before meeting her eyes. "I share the same feelings as you but I am afraid of the love I feel for you. Despite everything, you are still a mortal and I am still a god and yet I am willing and eager to kneel before you."

"Wow. Wow. Wow." Darcy throws her head back and lets out a loud guffaw. "I was just expecting an 'I like you too' but that'll do."

Loki can't bring himself to look at her so he watches the swirl of the liquid in his glass. "I beg you, do not mock me."

Darcy never thought in her wildest dreams that she would see Loki without his poise but here he is, laying himself bare to her and she can't decide whether to laugh or cry. Instead, she does the next best thing. She places her glass on the side table before pushing herself off the sofa and kneeling down in front of Loki. He jumps slightly when she places his glass on the floor and grasps his hands.

She looks up into his large green eyes as tears form in her own. "This is going to be hard. We are very different and we both have a lot of issues but I love you and I want you and I chose you. You are extraordinary even without your powers and your status. You are extraordinary despite all of those things. Please, Loki, please try this."

He grasps her hands and pulls her from the floor until she is sitting in his lap. He places a soft kiss on her lips and smiles one of the secret smiles that Darcy rarely sees. "Well, I do love a challenge."

Darcy throws her arms around his neck and smiles so wide her cheeks hurt. "It wouldn't be worth it if it wasn't a challenge."


End file.
